Encomium
KENNY Saint Brown released her album, Turn Around, towards the end of last year. Some weeks back, she relaunched it in a new pack with modifications. Speaking to ENCOMIUM Weekly in this interview, she explained that what she did before was just an experimental release and she is now ready to promote and market it after having tested the waters. She also talks about her desire and unction from God to take the gospel to men through kingdom sounds and not just restricting it to the church, praise and worship.
Why did it take this long for the album to be officially launched?
It was an experimental release between KSB Records and Kennis Music, but it fell short of my expectations and I had to repackage it and add some songs. I also needed to create a media storm for it so that people can know that the album is out. That’s why I am relaunching it now.
How many songs are on it and what’s it all about?
There are 12 tracks on it and it is a definition of KSB. It is a subtle departure from Kenny Saint Brown, it’s very upbeat, youthful, fresh, urbane and contemporary. It’s not what takes you to church and it’s not the conventional gospel praise style. It takes a discerning mind to understand that it is worshipping God. It can be mixed with any other song no matter the genre. I call them kingdom songs not gospel. That’s what KSB is all about.
Can they be used in church?
Church sounds are divided between praise and worship songs. It is only when they have a special concept or programme that they can accommodate them.
The objective of the album, are they only for the church?
I am from the church. I have a ‘Go Ye’ message from God. The message is from the church to the world. I am taking the light of God to men. God said, ‘Let your light shine before all men that they may praise your father in heaven.’ The first song says, Turn Around, which is a prayer to God that I need a turn around in my life, business and in all my endeavours. The other one says, Mo ti go ke, which is a testimony to God. It talks about the goodness of God and how He has lifted me up. Another is Alaye which means godfather and it is saying that there’s no godfather like God the father. Everybody that collaborated with me on the album eventually brought in the godliness in them.
How many collaborations do you have on the album?
There are about eight collaborations. Turn Around featured Dagrin and produced by Sheyman, ID Cabasa and I collaborated to write another song while background vocals were by Kayefi, Jesse Jagz, Elde, Terry G and MI all produced.
Does having up to eight collaborations on one album truly define the personality of KSB?
Yes. It very much defines me because it shows the versatility of the artist. Being able to work very well with that number of artists shows the veracity and ability of the artist because all those artists do different styles of music and we worked out fine.
What is the difference between Kenny Saint Brown and KSB?
Kenny Saint Brown was the old church brand of praise and worship and very churchy sound while KSB is the purely urbane and contemporary kingdom inspired sound. Praise and worship is unto God while kingdom inspired sounds are from God unto men. Kenny Saint Brown spent eleven years praising God and leading men to praise God, so it’s time to turn it the other way round and take the power we received from God to men.
How do you describe what you have done in this new album? Bringing down God to men or going commercial?
The two. But they don’t even define it, what really defines it is bridging the gap between people (whether church going or non church going) and the power that is in the music of God. The television is filled with videos and songs that celebrate nakedness, drugs, drunkenness and so on and if the church does not have an answer to it, our children would continue to sing these songs and eventually go astray. So, in an environment where agencies control the way gospel music should be played and restricting it to only Sundays, then we should find a way around it. That is the gap KSB is out to bridge. So, you can take a secular song that is entertaining and has a good tempo and mix it with kingdom sounds, they can co-exist comfortably and entertain as well as edify.
Why did you choose those artists for your collaboration?
I didn’t choose them, God did. If I did, that means I wrote the songs for them but I didn’t. In the case of Turn Around, where I featured Dagrin, it was Sheyman, the producer that brought him and when I heard him flow, I knew he was the one. MI said, ‘God you are my sugar sugar,’ and marveling at what God had done for him in just eight months. Terry G said, ‘Where I dey now na God put me there.’ There was a time no one wanted to listen to my demo but today, whatever I do, I blow, even if I sing into your song, it will blow. Those are testimonies and God just used my platform to express the God in them.
Another way to it is that I am also buying into their own fan base. MI is big now and when I do a song with him, I am buying into his fan base. A lot of people called me after Dagrin’s death to console me. Most of these artists also produced the songs they featured.
So, what’s the next move?
There’s a party train coming up. I had the album release party in a club with about five DJs and the reason that my songs are party songs. They are to close the gap between music that is not edifying and entertaining. I wanted the DJs to mix my songs with the regular party jams and see if they can be rocked in a club. It’s not everybody that has a problem that goes to church, some go to clubs. Another thing God showed me was that every Friday, it’s not only in the church there’s a vigil, there’s also a vigil in the club. So, all of us cannot face the church because there are other places they give music than in the church and is any of God’s music in those places? That’s the gap I have been assigned to bridge. So, I’m going to move to KSB Turn Around party. We are going to move from club to club to let people know what KSB is about and that is the difference between KSB and Kenny Saint Brown.
Mixing gospel with the kind of music they play in the clubs, is it still edifying?
Haven’t you heard that David danced so much that his clothes fell off and it didn’t matter to him because he was dancing to God? It’s not the dance that messes up the man, it is the music. I do the music which is pure and yours is to dance it and interpret it your way.
- THIS INTERVIEW WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN ENCOMIUM WEEKLY ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2010
